Fear Not, Mercury the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication travellers, boundaries, luck, and trickery, is here. (29/30 April)
Mercury, having its orbit so close to the Sun makes it one of the hardest planets to observe. However, between mid-April and mid-May Mercury will have its greatest elongation of the year. Making it easily seen in the early evening sky.
If you can find the Pleiades (seven sisters) you will find Mercury, it should be visible to the naked eye outshining the ‘Eye of Taurus’, Aldebaran on 29/30th April, with the thin crescent Moon making a triplet on 2nd May. Mercury’s Greatest Elongation is actually on April 29th at 20:00.
Along with the planned open nights of 22/23rd April, and weather permitting’, Solent Amateur Astronomers plan to open the observatory again on the night of Friday 29th April, to observe Mercury and its close approach to the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) on that date.
Should the weather prove inclement on 29th, we would try again for the 30th, or try and arrange another night close to these dates. Full details will be sent by email to all members and posted on the Facebook site.
Roger Nelson
Solent Amateur Astronomers
Comments